Archive
The Grande Hotel of Beira, Mozambique
Beira is an important African coastal port and the second-largest city in Mozambique. In the mid-1950s the ruling Portuguese Estado Novo regime wanted to build luxurious oceanfront quarters for VIPs visiting Beira. The result was the Grande Hotel, a beautiful Art Deco resort opened in 1955.
When completed it was the pride of Africa, featuring every amenity available – but it would close in 1963 after only eight years of operation. The Grande Hotel would serve many functions over the years, but in 1981 it became a refugee camp and remains one to this day.
The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic
Much less serious than the Dancing Plague was the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962. On January 30th, three girls at a boarding school in Kashasha, Tanzania began laughing. The laughter spread like wildfire throughout the school, affecting nearly 60% of the students. Symptoms of those affected lasted from a few hours to 16 days. The behavior was so disruptive, the school was forced to close down. Read more…
Diamond in the Desert: Kolmanskop
Once a thriving diamond-mining town, Kolmanskop is now abandoned, fighting a constant battle against the sandstorms and Mother Nature in the Namibian desert. Founded in 1908 when a rail worker in the area discovered a diamond, Kolmanskop enjoyed nearly fifty years of history until the town was all but abandoned in 1954 when the diamond mines finally dried up. Read more…
